Pokemon Courtship - Second Chance
by Cottonmouth25
Summary: A man loses his beloved on the day of their wedding. It's a tragedy that puts even those of the old fairy tales to shame, and he is ready to give up on hope. But like one of those same fairy tales, Fate has a miraculous surprise in store for him, bringing with it a second chance at happiness. One-shot, part of a series. Human (male) x Misdreavus (female). First Pokephilia story!


**Second Chance**

-.-.-.-.-.

Once upon a time, the sombre town of Lavender became the stage on which an incredible and tragic tale of romance would play.

Like some kind of morbid guardian, the obelisk called Pokemon Tower was always there for those that lived in the enclosed valley below. It rose, lonely and grim, above the townsfolk that went about their daily lives under its shadow. Whenever they opened their doors in the morning to begin their errands, or whenever they fancied a walk through the quiet streets, or whenever their eyes happened to stray upwards to the frequently-overcast sky… Pokemon Tower was there to greet them. It was strange to those who visited the town – frightening even – but to the residents, the sight was somewhat reassuring.

Inside, the Tower seemed to have a conscious will that made all who entered instinctively become quiet. The air was not particularly hot or cold, but something hung over the heads of the visitors so that they were cowed into respectful silence. Pokemon Tower was a region-wide memorial to the people and Pokemon of Kanto, each of its many floors packed to bursting with neatly-arranged tombstones. Death was so thick in the air that even an ignorant child could sense it, but Pokemon Tower was not a place of fear – only of peace. It was where spirits could rest without worry of being disturbed. It was where they were honored by their still-living loved ones.

Such a sacred place needed someone to maintain it. And that is where the Adams family came in.

They were the keepers of Pokemon Tower, vigilantly keeping watch over this resting place and its innumerable slumbering spirits. For each passing generation, one of their number had been there to polish the walls and floors, keep the lanterns lit, tend to the tombstones, and other such mundane yet important tasks. Ghost-type Pokemon also frequented the tower, and so it was another part of the duty of the Adams family to make sure they were happy, safe, and unlikely to cause trouble.

The current keeper was Raymond Adams. People that were bold enough to strike up a conversation described him as a withdrawn, inoffensive, modest sort that was overall pleasant to be around, if a bit odd. His parents, the previous keepers, had retired to Pallet Town once he'd come of age, and so it was just young Raymond living in the old place. No one really spent much time around him, believing him to be a loner and somewhat touched in the head, and so he mostly kept to himself. Not that he had much choice in the matter, though – it kind of came with the territory of living in a decrepit house closed off by black fencing at the base of a spooky death tower.

Raymond, though, was content and didn't complain. He simply did his duty to Pokemon Tower, a duty that he knew was more important than what outsiders thought of him. Let them spread their rumors and tell their stories, he reasoned. It did no harm, and none of it really bothered him.

Then one evening, as he was finishing his duties for the day by dusting off the tombstones on the ground floor, he met her.

At first, neither of them could say anything, stunned as they were at the sight of the other. Raymond would never know just what she was thinking of him at that moment, but he would remember his initial thoughts of her for the rest of his life. The maiden was simply dressed in a blouse and skirt, but she may as well have been a princess covered in sparkling jewels in the lovestruck Raymond's eyes. Her hair was silk, her skin porcelain, her eyes diamonds. Her beauty was that of a delicate flower, so small and fragile but strong enough to bloom all the same. And when she recovered from her own shock and gave him a tiny smile, Raymond fell instantly and deeply in love.

In the conversation that followed, he learned that her name was Robin, she was originally from Johto, and that she had come to conclude her day with a visit and prayer to her deceased Pokemon, a Vulpix. Raymond knew that the tower was technically closing, but he smiled earnestly at her and led her there himself. He offered his condolences for her loss and told her that she was a selfless, kind woman for displaying such loyalty to her former companion. She blushed and called him sweet.

When Raymond and Robin parted under the setting sun just outside the tower's entrance, they promised to meet again the very next day. And when they did, they greeted one another like old friends and never left each other's side out of some instinctive need to remain close. He shared his meals with her and was even willing to spend his free time away from the tower if it meant making her happy. She returned the favor by offering to assist him in his duties when going back to the tower was unavoidable.

It was undoubtedly love at first sight. One meeting and they were inseparable. Raymond thought she could do no wrong, and hung on her every word when she spoke to him. Hearing her tinkling laugh made his heart soar, and one look into her eyes had him spellbound. Somehow, he got the feeling that she felt the exact same way.

By the end of the day, they were kissing.

By the end of the week, they were sharing a bed.

By the end of the month, Raymond got down on one knee and proposed to her. Robin accepted without a second thought and flew into his arms with a cry of delight.

They spent almost every waking moment together, whether it was taking care of Pokemon Tower as Raymond had to do, or going into town for shopping trips as Robin loved to do. The market regulars stopped and stared, wondering who the shy-looking young man they'd never seen before could possibly be. They were too caught up in their confusion to approach the mystery boy and his lover, and those who weren't could plainly see that the couple only had eyes for each other and didn't approach either, simply out of courtesy.

It was the kind of love you would only see in fairy tales. The longer their romance went on, the more people said it couldn't possibly last. But it did – with every passing day, Raymond and Robin seemed to only grow closer and closer. The lovebirds had no shame in publicly snuggling together or sharing sweet kisses as if they were the only living beings to exist on Earth. Older women cooed and fawned whenever the couple passed by, and their crotchety husbands forgot their perpetual grouchiness, smiling serenely as they remembered a time when they had been young and in love. The way they smiled, the way they _laughed_ , convinced anyone who listened or looked that their love would never, ever die.

It was meant to be, as Raymond insisted, his voice swelling with pure adoration for his sweet Robin.

It was destiny, Robin always sighed, clasping her hands over her chest as she thought of her dearest Raymond.

And everyone they told believed them unquestioningly.

Raymond and Robin's mutual love was so passionate, so complete, that all they had to do was share one affectionate look at each other, and even the most happiness-deprived cynic who witnessed this intimate moment would be given new hope.

Maybe, just maybe, true love really did exist.

If it did, this was it.

-.-.-.-.-.

It was the day of the wedding. The normally quiet, serene Lavender Town was abuzz with energy. The love shared between its tower's sole keeper and his beautiful bride had rejuvenated the townsfolk with a new kind of life and vigor. Everyone was looking forward to the moment Raymond and Robin's union became official. Such pure, devoted, sweethearts deserved nothing more than the happiest of happy endings.

But it was not to be.

Fate had granted them the chance to be together, but the same Fate was about to take it away.

The ceremony was already underway – the many guests seated politely, Raymond standing with the priest at the altar and awaiting the bride's arrival – when they heard the incredible racket outside. Although he didn't know what made him do it, Raymond felt fear grip his bones like pincers of ice, and he rushed out of the church in a near panic.

The sight of what was happening on the road in front of him brought him to a screeching halt, the dread rising in him.

A car, its hood ripped apart and its engine smoking.

A limousine, its side crumbled like tin foil.

An ambulance, its flashing lights already blurring as Raymond's eyes rapidly lost focus.

When he saw the woman garbed in white being brought out on the stretcher, her neck at an unnatural angle, all hope died within him.

The sky-rending scream of anguish and despair that tore from his throat could scarcely be described as a human sound.

The world had ended. _His_ world had ended.

Robin was gone.

-.-.-.-.-.

Weeks passed, and it was only now, in the present, that Raymond stirred from his bed and marched outside to continue his duties as keeper of Pokemon Tower. He had been absent for so long that the townsfolk, most of whom had only recently become acquainted with him on account of his outings with Robin, had feared that he had secretly passed away by his lonesome.

But when they laid eyes on him again, their relief and happiness was short-lived. While Raymond's body was intact, his soul had left him. Although he went about his work as usual, his eyes were flat and dull, and his movements were robotic and monotonous. Those who saw him performing his daily work around the silent tower raised their hands to their mouths in horror at the sight of the lifeless shell he had become.

A few of the Lavender Town residents had visited Unova once, and seeing Raymond work in such an unfeeling state reminded those few of the undead automatons, the Golett. And his eyes, they said, weren't totally lifeless – if one looked closely enough, they held an all-consuming sorrow that was like the kind present in the eyes of the Yamask.

What had once been a miraculous fairy tale romance had turned into a Shakespearean tragedy. Life in Lavender Town seemed even more morose than it had ever been.

Raymond took just as much care in his duties as he always did, but he did them without caring, or even thinking. He barely noticed the flames leaping to life within the lanterns he dutifully lit, or the dust being swept off of the tombstones. He didn't acknowledge the Ghost-type Pokemon that materialized when he approached, their eyes swimming with confusion and concern for this strange being that seemed undead but wasn't. All he did was his job, as he had always done – but mechanically… lifelessly.

He was a man that had been given the promise of a happy future, only to have it taken away before his very eyes. One could almost _see_ the depressing haze surrounding him, pressing down upon him like a weight and sucking away what little life was still left in him.

One day, though, his routine was interrupted, and the wheels of Fate began to turn once more.

It was evening, and Pokemon Tower had been locked up for the night. The lights in the windows of the gloomy Adams house showed nothing but darkness beyond. The only exception was a faint, stuttering orange light that could barely be seen through the window of Raymond's own bedroom. Inside, the man was kneeling, his head bowed solemnly, his hands clasped together in prayer.

In front of Raymond was a footlocker, standing at the foot of his bed as its name suggested. On both ends, two candles had been placed. Closer to the middle, various items had been gathered and now stood together – a small shrine to his departed Robin. The candles' flames cast flickering light upon the objects. A pile of small trinkets, once considered by their owner as good luck. A battered doll, beloved since childhood. A golden ring, a symbol of the vow she had never taken. And at the very center, a framed photograph of the girl herself, her beautiful eyes closed in laughter.

The carpet in front of Raymond was stained with tears, as it always was at this time of night.

But while he would normally stand up from his period of mourning and immediately lay upon his bed to fall into a melancholy sleep, tonight was to be different. For as Raymond stood, his tearstained face like stone, a cold chill swept through the room and a phantom appeared at the window. A ghost from the Tower had come to him, for some mysterious reason.

The Gengar's red eyes blinked at him with worry. _Keeper of Pokemon Tower, you must heed my plea,_ it said, slowly, to him.

Raymond was unfazed by the Pokemon's words. It was not uncommon for Ghost-type Pokemon to be telepathic, whether the skill was taught to them by another Pokemon or learnt over many decades of existence.

When he silently nodded, the Gengar appeared satisfied that it had his attention, and it continued to speak. _Those of us who dwell in the highest chamber of the Tower can no longer rest. A new spirit appears – unhappy, restless, it drives us away and denies us our peace with its crying and screaming._

Again, Raymond nodded, and spoke aloud this time. "I'll take care of it," he assured it, although his voice carried no emotion. "I apologize on behalf of this spirit for disturbing your rest – it is, after all, my duty to make sure such things don't happen."

It was true that Raymond had been neglecting the top floor as of late. That was where Robin's grave had been placed, and the idea of visiting it had… repelled him. As if he feared that seeing her tombstone would smother the last dim embers of hope still flickering inside of him.

But he supposed it was inevitable. He was never going to avoid it forever. If he was indeed in denial, and the sight of Robin's grave would bring him back to reality, he would prefer that pain to the soul-consuming half-life he had been living for weeks now.

With monotonous steps, he ventured out of his dark home and unlocked the doors of the Tower so that he may enter. At night, the lamps were unlit and the Tower halls were saturated with thick, inky shadows. But he did not falter until he began to ascend the final staircase, when he became aware of his legs weakening and trembling slightly. Halfway up, he stopped, trying to keep his breaths steady and calm.

Finally, after several seconds of this, Raymond made the final decision. He raised his lantern and continued up the last few steps.

Only now did he step out of the shadows and into the light. There were windows up on the top floor, tall ones that stretched almost to the ceiling. Moonlight flooded through them, casting silvery stripes of light across the chamber. The atmosphere, despite being brighter than the pitch-black halls below, seemed strangely spookier. Pardon the pun, it was as still and silent as the grave. He could tell instinctively that there were no Ghost-type Pokemon around.

But Raymond knew from the unnatural cold pervading the room that he was not alone.

For the first time in a long time, he no longer felt crushing misery. His awareness and emotions returned to him – most prevalently, a growing sense of dread that curdled his blood.

He walked farther into the room as quietly as he could. There were several criss-crossing paths that wound through the many "blocks" of tombstones in the room, allowing him to go where he needed. But aside from wandering up and down the paths, he wasn't sure what else he could do to draw out the restless spirit. It wasn't like he'd dealt with very many before.

However, he soon found out that he needn't have worried. After creeping a little farther, Raymond stopped dead as he finally detected a quiet sound. Curious, but not yet frightened, he headed towards the disturbance, which was growing louder and more distinct as he closed in on it. Soon, it was echoing softly through the spacious chamber, and he could hear the sound for what it was. A mournful, choking sound – the sobbing of a young woman.

Unnatural shivers ran up and down Raymond's spine. He'd encountered mischief-making, angry, and even violent Ghost-type Pokemon before, but none of them had sounded nowhere near as creepy as this.

He began to notice a faint waver in the air near one of the windows. Swallowing the fear that was only just now rising up within him, Raymond cautiously approached the disturbance. Like the sounds of its mourning, it grew clearer with every step towards it. It took a defined shape, and gradually, its features began to fill themselves in within the contours of its outline. It was standing within one of the silvery spots on the floor, provided by the moonlight streaming in through the windows. Said light shone straight through it, revealing it to be some sort of apparition whose transparency made it difficult for Raymond to see. Not to mention that the already bright moonlight made the thing almost blinding.

When he was no more than five paces – if that – from the spirit, Raymond finally stopped, not daring to take one step closer. Squinting against its luminescence, he noticed that the thing was human-like and crouching over one of the tombstones. The ghost-woman's mournful sobbing was coming from her hidden face, which was buried in her outstretched hands as she wept. All other details were hidden behind a screen of silver-blue hair and a long, shining silver-white dress whose folds pooled on the floor around her.

The ghost-woman was weeping, ethereal tears dripping from between her fingers and onto the moonlit tiles, where they immediately vanished. Her muffled sobs were bone-chillingly eerie and heart-wrenchingly pitiful at the same time, leaving Raymond caught in a weird tug-of-war between fear and sorrow. But aside from that there was something familiar about the phantom – _achingly_ familiar, to the point where the feeling manifested as a literal ache in his chest. He couldn't explain it. He wanted – _needed_ , even – to kneel by the ghost-woman's side, to take her in his arms and hold her close.

In that moment, that singular desire overrode Raymond's own fear.

"Hey," he whispered, taking a step forward.

The reaction was immediate – the ghost-woman sprang to her feet and flinched back, her hands now clutched against her chest. It was impossible to see her features from the moonlight that streamed blindingly through her face, but the feeling of familiarity and inexplicable _longing_ increased tenfold. Raymond reached out a hand, and tried to assuage the spirit with a comforting shushing sound.

While that sometimes worked with the restless spirits he occasionally had to soothe, this one flinched and leapt back with a scream. Well, it would have been a scream if the ghost-woman was still alive – instead, Raymond could only describe it as a grating screech that sliced through his mind and made him feel as though his eardrums were being ripped out. After the longest, most agonizing second of his life, she dissolved into swirling mist that soon disappeared. Even as Raymond winced from the pain that still throbbed through his head, darkness gathered and took shape in the place where the ghost-woman's head had previously been, revealing a wild-haired Pokemon whose red eyes were like fiery coals that burned with anger. From those same smoldering pits streamed twin rivers of furious tears.

The Misdreavus screeched again, a chimeric sound born from both pain and rage, and lunged at Raymond, its many locks of hair reaching out for him like malevolent tentacles. He cringed and threw his arms up to guard his face, squeezing his eyes shut…

…but the attack he was anticipating never came. He regained his composure and hesitantly looked up, only to find that he was alone once again.

The only sign of the Misdreavus' presence that remained was the slowly-disappearing sound of its – no, _her_ – mournful sobs as they gradually faded into the distance…

-.-.-.-.-.

It wasn't long after the unforgettable encounter when Raymond met her again.

He'd had many a sleepless night since then, lying in bed awake as he mentally replayed the events of that night in the Tower over and over again. He knew that Misdreavus, as their name implied, liked to play cruel tricks by faking the sounds of weeping and screaming for others to hear. He knew that the native Ghost-type Pokemon had since returned to the Tower, and that this particular one was long gone. He knew that he should forget about it.

But three things remained burned in his mind's eye.

One, the sight of the Ghost-type's eyes as they glowed with a terrible anger but also gushed streams of sorrowful tears.

Two, the sound of her piteous sobbing, unmistakably genuine.

And finally, the _longing_ he felt as he gazed at the Pokemon's terribly familiar illusion. Despite the many hours of sleep Raymond had lost pondering this mysterious emotion, he could come up with no reason _why_ such a thing would grip his heart so powerfully. Who was this ghost-woman, and the Pokemon that conjured her image as it mourned its loss of life?

It was during yet another of these late-night sessions of aimless wondering when Raymond detected movement out of the corner of his eye, originating from the darkest corner of his room. It was accompanied by a dull clatter from somewhere close by, the normally quiet sound magnified by the surrounding silence.

Startled, he sat up all at once, the bedsheets falling into his lap, and scanned the room for any more signs of this ominous occurrence. Faintly, he felt dread building up inside of him, as anyone else would if they thought something was creeping through their private sanctuary in the dead of night.

Then, as his eyes swept back across the room the way they had come, there she was, hovering in the shadows near the door. She appeared so suddenly that Raymond had to fight back the urge to shout.

But the Misdreavus didn't move. She stared straight at him, her expression completely unreadable. Her hair swayed through the air of its own occurred – the movement would be mesmerizing if Raymond had been paying any attention to it. As it were, though, he was focused on her eyes, glowing red in the gloom. Even as he watched, they now began to well up with tears, and the Pokemon's lip started to quiver, as though the very sight of him filled her with sadness.

Before Raymond could even move, let alone do anything to stop her, she let out a whimper and fled, disappearing seamlessly into the darkness. And, as before, the last trace of herself she left behind was the fading sound of weeping.

Slowly, he got out of bed, feeling numb from what he'd just experienced. He had a strong suspicion that he was being haunted by this restless spirit, and that whatever had drawn her to his side would continue to do so. But he'd never heard of a Ghost-type haunting someone out of sorrow – amusement, usually, or sometimes spite. The reason varied from ghost to ghost, and some species were more prone to haunting than others.

Then again… a realization sparked in Raymond's mind, making him jerk upwards slightly as if zapped by an electric shock. If the Misdreavus was drawn to him for a reason that made her sad, that implied that she was once someone he knew.

Someone who loved him very much.

For the first time since the tragic accident, a tiny ray of hope dawned in his heart, and it began to pound like never before. If her true identity was who he thought it was…

His eyes wandered down to the object lying conspicuously near the foot of his bed. Carefully, he bent down and scooped it up, then turned it over in his hands. It was impossible to prevent a painful pang of loss from stabbing through him, for it was a photograph of him and Robin nuzzling foreheads, taken mere days before the accident.

However, as he went to place the frame back in its proper place, a small detail caught his attention. And when he pulled the picture forwards, closer to his face, to examine it, his heart started to race anew and the faint feeling of hope grew stronger.

The glass was still wet with teardrops.

-.-.-.-.-.

The very next night, Raymond went back to Pokemon Tower and raced up the stairs as quickly as he could without offending the slumbering souls. When he emerged in the moonlit upper room, he immediately made for the tombstone near the window, where he had first seen the Misdreavus.

Before he could properly examine the grave, however, a cloud covered the moon and darkened the chamber, and a pair of furious coal-red eyes opened up in the newly-formed shadows. They glared directly at Raymond, silently warning him not to make another move toward the tombstone that the spirit was so possessive of.

Raymond stopped, nothing if not courteous when it came to a resting place for the deceased. The Misdreavus slowly floated out of the gloom and into the dim light that the covered moon still provided, her eyes silently raging like fire. Her many tangled strands of hair were already halfway outstretched, ready to claim him if he made another insolent move.

She was being protective of the only reminder of her past life she had left, Raymond realized – like a Yamask jealously guarding its mask.

Steeling himself, the keeper of Pokemon Tower took a single pace forward. And even as Misdreavus' eyes flashed murderously, he spoke a single word that echoed meaningfully throughout the spacious chamber.

"Robin…?"

The effect was instant. The eyes previously narrowed in intense fury now widened with surprise, while the ghostly tendrils writhed spastically and jerked back as if they'd touched something scalding. The Misdreavus shuddered and shrank away timidly, shock written all over her vulnerable face. Just underneath her small, dark body, the faint image of the ghost-woman glowed softly in the dark before vanishing seconds later, but it was long enough for Raymond to see the very same longing he felt etched on her transparent face.

It was her.

He knelt on the floor, tilting his head up to gently gaze at the frightened phantom. He opened his arms invitingly and whispered to her in a voice that was at last free of the burden he'd been carrying.

"Hey… Robin, please… come here… come back."

Robin's new form tentatively inched closer, her eyes darting back and forth over him, frantically searching for evidence that this wasn't real. She was afraid that it was only a cruel dream, showing her the thing she desired most before making it vanish as soon as she touched it. But Raymond was confident and patient, waiting for her with an open, serene smile stretching across his face.

She gazed silently back at him, her face losing much of its apprehension and taking on an expression of dawning hope. She was starting to realize that no, this was no dream or mirage. Raymond's heart fluttered as he saw the look in her eyes clear up – eyes that were just as beautiful as they were before she lost her life, eyes that radiated the same passion as they always had.

It was a passion that he shared wholeheartedly. It was a passion that could only be ignited when their owner gazed upon her Raymond… her true love.

All at once, Robin raced forward to bury her face in the crook of his neck, wailing and bawling with a combination of sadness, joy, and relief. If she were still human, Raymond knew she would tell him about how worried she'd been for him, how she dearly regretted the accident that had robbed them of their wedding day, and how much she'd missed him in their excruciating time apart. As it were, the only noises that came from her mouth were unintelligible cries mixed with great, gasping sobs, noises that only another Pokemon could interpret. But Raymond didn't need to hear the Misdreavus' words to understand their meaning.

As Robin cried and cried and cried into his shirt, he wrapped his arms around his lover reincarnated to comfort and protect her. It had been so long since he'd embraced his dearest Robin that he was barely fazed by the icy chill of her ectoplasmic skin. All he felt was a profound sense of peace that swept through him, banishing the anxiety, depression, and all other negativity.

Slowly, the pitiful wails died down to soft whimpers. They, in turn, became loving croons that vibrated from Robin's throat as she began to rub her face against his skin. The Misdreavus hummed and mewled contentedly while she lavished her still-human soulmate with affection. Her luscious, dark green locks slithered out to caress his shoulders, arms, and neck – their touch was cold but wonderfully silky, and Raymond breathed a sigh of contentment under his beloved's care.

To return the favor, he slid his hand up to the top of her head, massaging the side of her face on the way up. Robin let out a squeal of delight and purred lovingly, her voice becoming husky and her eyes mischievous. A shade of desire flickered to life in those spellbinding orbs that seemed to hold the lovestruck young man prisoner, just as a different, yet similar, pair had done for him months ago.

She smirked and, without warning, floated up until she was level with Raymond's surprised face, wrapping the remainder of her prehensile hair around his neck and head. Her forehead came forth to bump gently against his, the intoxicating crimson of her eyes staring deep into his soul and hypnotizing him. It was as if nothing had changed – they were not Pokemon and human, but two souls joined by Fate and sharing in a deep, undying love that would never be broken.

"Missssssss~…" Robin cooed softly.

Raymond knew in his heart what the tantalizing whisper meant, and he replied in kind. "I love you too, Robin… I always will…"

Whatever he was going to say next, if anything, was silenced when Robin's lips molded themselves to his in a breathtaking kiss. Her lips were like ice, but the kiss itself was hotter than fire. The two lovers closed their eyes and reveled in each other's taste and scent. Neither of them had even imagined the possibility of sharing their passion for each other ever again, and so they kissed one another as though it would be their last meeting until the end of time. Their tongues briefly twined together, and then they finally separated, their lips softly parting but remaining close.

"Robin," Raymond spoke her name in a voice trembling with joy.

"Dreeeeeaaa~," the Ghost-type breathed in much the same tone.

Their eyelids fluttered open, and they met each other's eyes with tender smiles. In that single moment of held gazes, a special kind of love was silently professed – a love that was far too deep and grand to ever be put into words.

-.-.-.-.-.

When Raymond was next seen in public, it was in the market square, and the residents of Lavender Town watched in a strange mix of bewilderment and delight as the enigmatic caretaker of Pokemon Tower conducted his errands in a better mood than they had ever seen him. Gone was the reserved, vaguely polite smile of the shy hermit they'd once spread rumors about, as well as the dead, distant stare of the young man that'd had his soon-to-be wife ripped away from him.

No, the Raymond they saw now was more akin to the one they'd first been astonished by when he emerged from his lonely house with a pretty young lady on his arm. He beamed widely and went about his business with a cheerful, youthful energy that made even the most withered senior citizen feel young again. It was almost as if the accident had never taken place. None of them knew the exact reason for his transformation, but they indeed suspected that the cute little specter floating closely by his side was responsible.

Many of them knew that a Pokemon companion was one of the best ways to coax a depressed soul out of their shell and back to their old way of life. That was why no-one thought any more of the Misdreavus than just being a new companion that had breathed new life into the youngest inheritor of Pokemon Tower. Raymond and the Ghost-type were undeniably close. When asked, Raymond would laugh and say that he and "dear Misdreavus" did everything together.

This was undeniably true, for the pair was never seen apart. They teased one another and played little games, exchanging pranks and jokingly scolding the other for their audacity. They didn't give anyone any reason to believe they were anything more than a devoted Trainer and loyal Pokemon, partners that loved each other unconditionally. And, of course, the townsfolk believed this wholeheartedly. They greeted Raymond and Misdreavus like old friends, congratulating them for their good fortune.

However, if one was very observant, then they had a chance of glimpsing something extraordinary.

Sometimes, Raymond and Misdreavus would turn to each other and look deep into each other's eyes. They would touch foreheads and murmur something, two different voices speaking as one.

Within those few intimate moments, something would be exchanged between Trainer and Pokemon – whatever it was, none who witnessed it were quite able to place it. But its importance was obvious, for why else would the lucky onlooker be left with trembling knees and a sense of pure awe?

Whoever caught sight of this incredible exchange, it was said, would continue on their way with new hope blossoming in their hearts, and with no more doubts as to the existence of true love.

-.-.-.-.-.

 **No-one was harmed in the making of this story. But more than one tear was shed.**

 **So hopefully those of you who weren't turned off by the "Pokemon x human" announcement liked what you read! I had a lot of fun writing this beautiful little addition to the series. I've been wanting to do a Pokephilia story for a while, but I wanted to do something** ** _plausible_** **(and nose-bleedingly sappy) instead of some stupid fanservicey Gardevoir-centric fic.**

 **I like to imagine that Ghost-types make the best romantic partners. After all, they've already died. They know not to take a second chance at happiness for granted.**

 **I'm always looking for new ideas for this series, so if there's a pair of Pokemon you'd like me to write about, then feel free to let me know!**


End file.
